Recycle your cartons

RESIDENTS in Forest Heath can now recycle their empty paper-based liquid food and drink cartons, such as those made by Tetra Pak by washing them, squashing them and taking them to special collection points.
New banks are in Bury Road car park, Brandon, Wings Road car park in Lakenheath and in Recreation Way car park in Mildenhall. Cartons can also be taken to the Household Waste Recycling Centres in Mildenhall and Newmarket.
The cartons cannot be put into the blue recycling bins because they are made of several types of material bonded together and so can not be recycled in the normal way.
The separate collections have been set up with help from ACE UK, (the Alliance for Beverage Cartons and the Environment), who represent major carton manufacturers.
Cllr Tony Simmons said: "Forest Heath residents’ enthusiasm for recycling means the district is now recycling 50% of its waste. We expect residents will make this new service a great success. It is estimated that each person uses 54 paper-based cartons a year, which could all be given a new life, rather than ending up in landfill.”
Around 55,000 tonnes of paper-based cartons are produced a year for milk, juice and even wine and chopped tomatoes. They comprise 70 to 90 per cent paperboard, 10 to 25 per cent low density polyethylene and certain kinds of pack contain a small quantity of aluminium.
Recycling involves mashing the cartons with water and separating out the linings. The paper fibres are long and strong and ideal for combining with shorter fibres, reducing the need for virgin fibre. End products include plasterboard liner and high-strength paper bags and envelopes, which can also be recycled up to five times. The remaining mix of plastic and aluminium can be used in furniture, to generate energy or even separated out into pure aluminium and paraffin.